1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to food covering devices and, more specifically, to a microwave oven with a built-in food covering mechanism which is upwardly and downwardly movable in either an automatic or a manually controlled fashion for selectively covering or-uncovering an item placed within the microwave interior.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Covering devices of various types and designs are known in the art for covering a food item placed within a microwave during the heating stage. Such covering devices are advantageously used within the microwave oven for preventing the food item being heated from splattering during the microwaving process.
Pending application U.S. Ser. No. 08/262,922, upon which the present application claims priority in part, teaches a food covering device for use with a microwave in which a food covering member is suspended from a ceiling of the microwave interior by a cord. The cord attaches to the covering member at one end and to a door of the microwave at the other end. An adjustment guide is mounted to a wall of the oven and receives an intermediate portion of the cord in order to adjust the extent of the raising and lowering of the covering member upon the opening and closing of the door.
Japanese Reference No. 52-7491 teaches a high frequency heating device incorporated into a microwave oven which includes a lid member pivotable in an angular fashion about an edge by an arm, the arm having an intermediate joint and connecting to a door to separate the lid member from the food when the door is opened. A heater is fitted within the lid member to create scorch patterns in the food.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,854,021, issued to Moore et al., teaches a conductive shield device which is mounted within an electromagnetic heating system and which is similarly pivotable in an angular fashion about an edge. The device is specifically designed for use in a high-volume institutional setting such as a cafeteria to shield cold portions of a meal tray during microwaving. The shield is actuated between a covered and an upwardly tilted position by a lever and spring arrangement extending from the oven door to cover the cold portions of the meal prior to actuating the microwave device.
While such devices provide an effective means for covering or shielding a food item within a microwave enclosure, they tend to be very unwieldy and cumbersome in operation and are for the most part unsuitable for use with more modern microwave devices. The prior art devices are further ill-suited for use as a convenient cover which is easily displaceable over a food item placed within a microwave enclosure and which permits the microwaves to reach the food while preventing the food from splattering the interior walls of the microwave enclosure.